Grid paster



Jan. 26, 1937. J. E. BROWN ET AL 2,069,104

GRID PASTE-R Filed Au 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORfl Johw 5 BROWN By 4404 5. CZAEK ATTORNEY?! Jan. 26, 1937.

J. E. BROWN ETAL GRID FASTER Filed Aug. 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill .1

Z O INVENTORS Max/1v 560m 440/: d CLA/P/f M, M naw ATTORNEYfif GRID FASTER 7 John E. Brown and Aldie n.

Ohio,

Clark, Cleveland,

minor; to Willard Storage Battery company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of West Virginia Application August 7, 1935, Serial No. 35,088 9 Claims. (Cl. 226-39) This invention relates to improvements in grid pasters, that is machines for applying lead oxide paste to the grids of storage batteries of the lead-acid type, particularly automobile batteries.

A machine for this purpose is illustrated and described in our copending appiication Serial No. 537,344, of which the present applicationis "a continuation in part.

One of the objects of the invention is the 1. provision of a paster wherein there is no conveyor element. directly beneath that portion of the grid which is being pasted, and wherein the excess paste fed down into the space'between grids as the latter travel beneath the paste hop- 1 per is dumped immediately after it leaves the hopper with the traveling grids, and hence does not interfere with the functioning of the conveyor mechanism.

Another object is the provision of grid conveyor means consisting of upper and lower cooperating feed wheels positioned close enough together along the path of travel of the grids so that a grid will always move under the impetus of at least one set of feed wheels, and hence will have a positive uniform rate of travel.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a resilient pasting plate, preferably one of soft rubber, so that as each grid travels over the plate and is subjected to the force exerted by the paste applier there will be a cushioning of the grid sufficient to prevent damage ttythe delicate elements thereof.

Still another object is the provision of a composite metal and rubber pasting -plate possessing the advantage of the resiliency oi. the rubber while insuring against deformation, of the rubber to any considerable extent, as might occur if rubber alone were employed.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as we proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end view, partly in transverse.

section, of a grid track which may be employed in connection with the invention, together with a magazine from which grids are deposited on the track at regular intervals.

50 Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the track and the hopper from which the paste is dispensed, part of the view being in longitudinal section in order to show more clearly a part of the grid feeding means.

5 Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the lower part of the paste hopper, the view being taken substantially on the line 2-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the pasting plate, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of 5 Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pasting plate and the adjacent parts of the conveying apparatus.

In the drawings we have shown a framework comprising a pair of opposed channels I0 which 10 -may be supported in any convenient manner, as

by occasional I-beams, one of which is indicated at H in Fig. 2. One or more brackets i2 of special form may be attached to the bottoms of the channels ID for assisting in the support of a 5 grid magazine l3 having inclined upper rails upon which the lugsof twin grids are adapted to slide. At regularly timed intervals the lowermost grid in the magazine is lifted in a direction parallel to itself so that the lugs of the grid clear upper stops i4 and are then guided downwa'rdly by arms-l 5, so that the grid falls between the latter arms onto a track which at this point consists of a plurality of spaced bars l8. -'I| is a back stop to prevent thegrid from overrunning the track as it moves onto the same. The magazine and its operation will be found more fully described in our aforesaid application.

After each grid is deposited upon the bars it it is moved forward by a thin metal plate It of approximately the thickness of one grid, this plate being mounted upona sliding block IS. The rearmost position of the plate I8 is illustrated in Fig. 2, where the forward edge of the plate extends beneath awiper or guard 20. An adjustable link 2i is pivotally connected at its rear end tothe block is and at its forward end to the upper extremity of one arm 22 of a bell crank lever which is pivoted at 23 to the frame of the machine. The other arm 24 of this lever has a slot 25 therein which receives a pin 26 thatis carried by one end of another lever 21 pivoted at 28 to'the frame. The opposite end of this lever carries-a follower 29 which rims upon a cam 30 keyed to a shaft 3| upon which is secured a bevel gear 32 that is driven from any convenient prime mover. 0n the opposite end of this shaft there is a cam which bears u against a roller 34 on the lower'end of an arm 35 attached to a lever 36 which is pivoted at 31 to the magazine, and at its forward end carries two lifting fingers 38 that engage beneath the lugs'of the foremost grid and lift it when the high spot of cam 33 engages roller 34. In this a manner the reciprocations of plate It are timed with the deposite of grids onto the bars it.

When the high spot of cam 30 is in engagement with follower 29, as it is through a considerable portion of the time, plate I8 and its operating levers and links are in the positions illustrated in Fig. 2. When the lower portions of the cam come into engagement with the follower 29 the plate I8 is caused to move forward by spring pressure. For this purpose we provide a rod 39 with a'bifurcated forward end which is pivotally connected at all with lever arm 22. The rod 39 is threaded to receive an adjusting nut ti and a lock nut 42, the nut M having a shouldered seat thereon to form an abutment for the forward end of a coil spring 43. A sleeve fit surrounds a considerable portion of rod 39 and forms a guide for the spring 43. The rear end of this spring engages a bracket 45 through which there is a hole that slidably receives rod 39, a sheet metal guard 46 being mounted upon the bracket to protect the operator. The spring 39, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is in compression. As soon as the cam 30 will permit, energy stored in spring 39 will rock the lever 22 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the block i9 with'the plate I 8 is. slid in a forward direction, the plate 48 engaging the grid G and sliding it forward on the track.

M represents one or more stops which are vertically adjustable in avbracket B8,, and are preferably set with their; lower ends at a height to clear a single grid G as the latter is pushed forward by the plate I8. Hence, if more than one grid should be deposited upon the track by mistake, one grid above the other, the upper grid could not get by the stops 6'', and therefore,

jamming of the grids at the-paster would be are supported. At regular intervals along the track these ledges are cut away sufilciently to pennit the grids to be gripped between knurled disks orrollers 50 and which are mounted upon shafts52 and 53 respectively. Each pair of these shafts have their axes in the same vertical plane. The two shafts of each pair are geared together by means of intermeshing spur gears of equal size, the upper ones only being indicatedin the drawings at 54. On each of the lower shafts 62 there is a bevel gear 55, and all of these bevel gears are driven at the same speed from some convenient source of power. The upper shafts 53 are adjustable to a limited extent,

being mounted in bearings which are verticallytive pairs of shafts 52 and 53 are spaced apart,

lengthwise of the track a distance less than the length of one grid, so that every grid is always moving under the influence of at least one set of four feed wheels, it being noted from Figs. 2 and 5 that there is a set of feed wheels located just in front of the paster and a second set located just beyond'the paster, in order that the travel of the grids throughfthe paster may be, positive and uniform.

Upon the side rails Ill 2; short distance down the track from .the grid'magazine we mount a heavy metal hanger 51, which may be secured in msition by means of screws 58 or other fasteners. The paste hopper 59 is supported upon his hanger in any suitable manner. Inthe hopper there is the usual rotating vertical shaft 60,

driven by any suitable means, and a series of agitating arms or paddles 6| by means of which the paste is thoroughly stirred and brought to a uniform consistency. At the bottom of the shaft 69 there is a paste applier 62 having radially extending inclined blades which wipe over the surface of the grid and force the paste into the interstices thereof. I

The space through which the grid travels beneath the hopper is indicated at 63 in Fig. 3. It is flanked on each side by a guide plate 64 havinga rounded corner at the end from which the grids approach the paster. Directly beneath the space 63 'is'the pasting plate, which consists preferably of a lower metal portion 65 and an upper resilient portion 66. The metal part 65: of the pasting plate is preferably perforated throughout at least the greater portion of its extent, a few only of the perforations being illus trated in Fig. 5, and the upperportion 66 is preferably formed of soft rubber vulcanized to the metal portion 65, the rubber before vulcanization being forced into the holes of the metal part and filling the same, as indicated in Fig. 4.

Whether or not vulcanization be employed for securing the metal andrubber'together, it is very desirable that there bean intimate attachment of the rubber to the metal. The resilience of the rubber provides a cushioning action enabling' the grid to yield slightly if subjected to unusual pressure by the paste applier, and thereby guarding against damage The intimate union of the rubber with the metal prevents any material distortion of the rubber portion of the plate, and this must be prevented because it is necessary that the surface of the plate be fiat and level in order that the upper surface of the grid may be maintained parallel to the path of rotation of the applier blades.

The pasting plate is adjustable up and down in order that it may be positioned with accuracy. 61 is a stud that is threaded through a hole in the hanger 51 and bears on the lower side of the metal portion of thepasting plate at the middle point thereof. When stud 61 is threaded upwardly it tends to raise the pasting plate. Several smaller studs 68 s rrounding the cen-' tral stud 61 are projected t rough smooth holes in the hanger 51 and are threaded into'the metal portion of the pasting plate. 'Afterthe desired adjustment of the stud Bl is effected the studs and to level it up accurately. I

Onthe front side of the pasting platewe mount a-curved guide bar or'element 69 with a.

downturned rim it, the fastenings for this bar being such as to permit its adjustment vertically I with respect to the metalportion of the pasting plate, to which it is secured. This guide bar definitely directs the grids onto the surface of the pasting plate, insuring against any jamming of the apparatus at this point. As the'rubber surface of the pasting plate wears away, the guide bar 69 may be lowered accordingly and the pasting plate as a Whole may be raised by the. adjusting screw 61. When' the rubber pad be comes too thin for satisfactory operation a new pasting plate is put into the machine, the remaining rubber of the old one is removed, and a new rubber cover applied to the metal portion.

In the foregoing description we have necessarily gone somewhat into detail in order to explain fully the particular embodiment of the in-- vention herein illustrated, but we desire it to be understood that such detail disclosures are not to be construed as amounting to limitations, except as they may be included in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, means for applying the paste, a pasting plate at the bottom of said hopper, the upper portion of said pasting plate being resilient, and means for moving a grid over said plate during the operation of said paste applying means.

2. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper,

a rotatable applier therein, a resilient rubber plate at the bottom of said hopp r. and means for moving the grid over said plate during the operation of said applier.

3. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, a rotatable applier therein, a pasting plate at the bottom of said hopper, said pasting plate comprising a lower rigid portion and an upper portionof soft rubber intimately Joined to said rigid portion, and means for moving the grid over said plate during the operation of said applier.

4. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, a rotatable applier therein, a pasting plate at the bottom of said hopper, said pasting plate comprising a resilient upper portion, said pasting plate having a substantially flat upper surface, and means for moving the grid over said upper surface during the operation or said applier.

5. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, a rotatable applier therein, a pasting plate at the bottom of said hopper, said pasting plate comprising a lower portion of. relatively thick metal with perforations therethrough and an upper P rtion at rubber extending into said perforations and intimately joined to the metal, said rubber portion having a substantially flat upper surface, and means for moving the grid over said upper surface during the operation of said applier.

6. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, a rotatable applier therein, a resilient plate at the bottom of said hopper, an inclined guide secured to one side of said plate which is first engaged by an approaching grid, and means for moving the grid over said guide and onto said plate d i g the operation or the applier.

'7. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, a rotatable applier therein, a pasting plate at the bottom 01' said hopper, said pasting plate comprising a lower portion of metal sumciently thick to be rigid and an upper portion of soft rubber vulcanized to said metal portion. means for adjusting said plate and applier relatively to each other to compensate for wear upon the surface of the plate exposed to the grids, and means for moving grids one at a time over said plate during the operation of said applier.

8. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper. means for applying the paste, a pasting plate at the bottom of said hopper, the upper portion of said pasting plate being resilient, and means for moving a grid onto said plate in position to receive paste from said paste applying means.

9. In a grid pasting machine, a paste hopper, means for applying the paste, and a pasting plate located opposite the delivery end of said hopper to form a backing for the grid as it is being pasted, the upper portion of said plate being resilient.

JOHN E. BROWN. ALDIE B. CLARK. 

